Irreconciliable Differences
by Tasie
Summary: Five years ago, two people met. Five years later, they meet again with different lives and as different people. But can love really conquer all, especially when it already tried and failed once before...


**_AN: _**_IT'S BEEN FOREVER AND A YEAR I KNOW, BUT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR USA-DAY (AKA JUNE 30th), AND SO I DECIDED TO WORK REALLY HARD AND PUT OUT AT LEAST ONE OF THE MANY FICS THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IN THE PAST WHO KNOWS HOW LONG, I HAVE BEEN GONE FROM THE WRITING COMMUNITY. ENJOY AND REVIEW BECAUSE REVIEWS ARE THE SUSTINANCE I NEED TO CONTINUE WRITING. I WARN YOU THIS WAS **SELF-EDITTED **AND A **BIT** RUSHED!_

_YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!_

**IRRECONCILIABLE DIFFERENCE**

CHAPTER 1: _IT BEGINS…_

A petite feminine figure glared over her shoulder at the back of whichever anonymous person had just shoved her before returning her attention to her current task, trying to rescue her duffle bag from the clutches of the clinging conveyor belt. It seemed every other person on her flight had been able to collect their luggage with minimal difficulty, however her bag had gotten stuck on part of the conveyor belt, and so she was stuck with either the option of leaving all of her worldly possessions in the airport or getting her bag free. She looked around, watching with envy as people walked to and fro, going to their respective destinations with a pout before returning to her current task with heavy sigh. Frustrated beyond belief, she glanced down at the simple silver watch on her wrist, jaw dropping as she realized that her plane had landed over a half an hour ago.

"COME ON!", she whined loudly, uncaring of whether or not she was making a scene, jetlag and prolonged exposure to airports made her cranky. Grabbing both sides of the bag and using whatever upper body strength she possessed combined with her utter impatience with the situation, she gave the pink bag a forceful tug. She gave a happy cheer, later swearing she heard clapping behind her, as the bag finally gave but her attention was quickly diverted from that thought as she felt herself falling victim to the law of gravity, yet again. Her eyes widened, as she felt her body falling backwards, she belated realized maybe she'd used a little _too_ much momentum, "Look out!" she squealed out the warning, her hands gripping her bag, and her eyes shut in anticipation of her fate with the airport floor.

A statuesque man looked up from his watch, annoyance evident in his features, which was quickly replaced as his eyes widened in shock, before his body was rammed into. The sudden collision had the oxygen fleeing from the general vicinity of his lungs and the unexpected weight caused his firm, enduring balance to become non-existent. Letting out a harsh curse, his arms flew behind him to try and buffer the impact, only to have his hands slip at the last minute. For a moment all he saw was brilliant stars, and then came the piercing pain in the back of his head. He allowed himself a groan of pain, before having the air knocked out of him twice in the span of a second as a heavy weight suddenly landed on his chest.

She felt the overly familiar sensation of falling but was surprised by the warm, semi-hard landing. Unclenching her eyes, she looked down; her jaw dropped once she realized the lack of bruises on her body was due to her landing on another human being. She gasped, her face turning red and adopting a sheepish expression. Quickly she climbed off of him, moving herself into a kneeling position beside his fallen form. "Sir..." she murmured softly, ignoring the nosy people that seemed to always love drama of any kind, especially accident scenes, she gently shook her head to bring herself back to this moment. "Sir, are you alright?", the moment the inquiry left her lips, she wanted to hit herself over the head with something, _'Okay that was a stupid question.'_ she thought, rolling her eyes at herself.

Crawling over to her fallen bag, she quickly pulled out a sweater, balled it up and gently tucked it under his head. With a nervous whine, she ran her hand through his dark hair, absently noting the softness of his hair but consciously searching for any bumps or bleeding. When she found one large bump, she pulled her fingers from his scalp; her hand flew to her open bag, quickly digging around until she found her first aid kit. Having long ago, accepted the fact that she was accident-prone, she was well prepared for most injuries that could and probably would occur to her person, hence the constant presence of her first aid kit, was not only wise but in her case a necessity. _'I certainly didn't think I'd be using it on someone else.'_, she thought, guilt clawing at her insides, as she pulled out a cold compress, pressing it to the back of his head, she waited for help to come. It wasn't long before a man wearing white and caring a medical case came to the scene.

"What happened?" the paramedic asked, dropping down on the other side and glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. He silently appreciated the delicate features and silvery tresses that tumbled down her back so artfully, before setting his mind to his current task.

"He fell. I think." She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, her expression a mixture of guilt, remorse and confusion, "Well he was technically pushed but--"

"Is there any blood?" he asked, pulling back the fallen man's eyelids, and flashing a flashlight directly into his pupils. He nodded, as he noted both pupils reacting appropriately before releasing the skin. Chocolate colored locks fell into hazel eyes as he turned to face the disheveled young woman on the other side of the fallen man.

"No--", that had been the first thing she checked for, "--but he does have a bump on the back of his head." she watched, biting her lip anxiously, as the paramedic lifted up the mystery man's head. Raising an eyebrow at the compress already present, he slowly pulled it away, carefully inspecting the slightly swollen bump under her watchful, watery gaze.

"I just wanted to get my bag free! I _swear_ it was an accident--", she whined softly, face turned up to the sky before frowning down at the lying male. Seeing his lips moving, she lowered her ear to his mouth and tried to hear whatever he was muttering, "What?" She blushed lightly feeling his warm breath fanning against her cheek before slowly backing away from his face, having been unable to understand what he had been mumbling. Suddenly his eyes fluttered open to reveal a pair of intensely blue eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched those eyes go from slightly foggy to sharp in an instant. She almost lost herself in the depth and clarity of his eyes before getting herself back enough to inquire, "Sir, are you okay?"

At first he heard a voice, a lovely light-filled voice that spoke softly to him, and then he heard voices. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and found himself mesmerized by a pair of sparkling blue eyes, surrounded by a curtain of shimmering silver. These hypnotic eyes were like liquid blue, capricious and changing with every shift of her head and they seemed to be staring at him in concern and something else.

"Sir, are you okay?"

He heard the words but it took him a moment to process them, carefully he nodded his head and immediately regretted it. His hasty headache was soothed by a pair of soft hands that held his head delicately and massaged his temples in small, repetitive, circular motions. He gazed at this unfamiliar woman blankly before raising himself up on his elbows and effectively pulling away from her gentle digits. He carefully regarded her with an openly guarded expression as he answered, "Yes, I am alright."

"I am _so_ sorry!" she cried out, her eyes swimming with unshed tears as she gazed at the now sitting man.

"Sir, can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Carefully this time, he turned his head to the side to see another unfamiliar face but this one was connected to a body wearing a medical uniform. He glanced at the man's hand prior to replying, "Three."

"Good." the man nodded, eyeing his sitting form before asking, "Can you stand?"

Slowly the man rose from his position, stumbling once only to be caught by a small, steady hand. He briefly glanced at the petite figure that now stood beside him before regarding the paramedic, "Yes."

"It looks like you'll be okay, but I strongly suggest seeing a doctor very soon to have your head looked at."

"Thank you." she expressed sweetly, gazing at the paramedic gratefully, as he picked up his case.

Releasing the, now, sturdy and much taller frame, she quickly scooped up her balled up sweater. Shoving it into her open bag, she zipped up the duffle, unaware of the hesitant paramedic that gazed at her turned back for a long moment before finally opening his mouth, "I was wondering if--"

"If I'm not mistaken, you're done here. Aren't you?" the tall dark haired man growled out, silently glaring at the paramedic. Watching as the man, almost immediately took his case and whatever offer he'd been about to make with him to wherever. Glancing up at the unfortunate victim of her latest 'scene', she silently noted just how tall he was. That accompanied with the scowl on his face, which might have been attractive if not for the aforementioned scowl, seemed to present an all-together very, intimidating image. His dark eyes shifted from the fleeing paramedic to her person, she resisted the urge to shudder under those intense eyes.

"I assume you are responsible." It could have been a question but she knew it wasn't, his tone was too cold and definitive for it to be anything but a statement. He briefly wondered at his own behavior for a moment, before easily dismissing the notion.

"It was a _bizarre_ accident and I am **so** sorry!" she said, gazing up at him, wondering what he would do to her. He could press charges, but could what happened really be considered assault or battery or just an unfortunate accident, judging by his suit and stoic demeanor he was probably a businessman, and that usually equaled tightass.

And tightass' were renowned for their love of the legal system…

"Perhaps if you have trouble walking like a civilized person, you should have someone cart you around like an infant." he commented casually, straightening out his slightly disheveled suit, before staring down at her with his arms crossed condescendingly over his chest, eyebrow raised as she looked up at him incredulously.

"Excuse me!" she uttered, stunned, not expecting the verbal assault, and incredibly offended, especially by the superior stance he had while delivering his 'commentary'.

"I believe you heard me, if not I suppose you should just add that to your list of physical flaws." he stated nonchalantly, she got the impression he regularly dressed people down.

"I may be gravitationally challenged but that was completely uncalled for!" she declared defensively, blue eyes starting to resemble flames as she stared up at the arrogant ass in front of her.

"You nearly knock me into a comatose state and I'm over-reacting?" he asserted calmly, an arrogant smirk directed at her smaller frame.

"I _said_, I was sorry!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air, extremely frustrated with the man in front of her. If he didn't already potentially have a concussion, by the end of their 'conversation' she'd definitely give him one. "What do you want blood!", she voiced, rolling her eyes at his smug stone like physique.

"In the event that whatever is wrong with you is genetic, no thank you." he said with a scoff, turning up his nose disdainfully, though his eyes watched her reaction very carefully.

She could feel the subtle twitching of her right eye, as she replied through clenched teeth, "You've just had head trauma, so I'll let that slide."

"You are correct I have recently suffered from head trauma, so what is your excuse?" he asked, grinning smugly down at her, quickly reddening form, "Were you dropped on your head repeatedly as a child?"

"Were you born this obnoxious or did you develop the trait?" she retorted, tone dripping with innocence as she tilted her head to the side, smiling sweetly up at his taller frame.

"I don't have time for this!"

"And I don't have time to stand here and be insulted by some jackass in a badly tailored suit!", she shouted, emphasizing each word by poking him in the chest with her finger, he silently took in the expression on her face, the flush of her cheeks and inferno, barely restrained, in her eyes.

Straightening his stance, he stared down at her for a moment before stating, "Your name?"

"Why?" she asked, rolling her neck and shifting the strap on her bag to try and alleviate the pain in her neck.

"In the event that there is truly something wrong with my person, I want to know who to send the bill to." It was of course a bluff, but for some reason he felt the need to know her name.

"Fine…" she grunted out through clenched teeth, "My name is Serenity B. Crescent."

"Endymion Adrastos."

"I don't remember asking." The blonde huffed back. Determined to get the last word, she quickly grabbed her duffle and speed-walked away from the stunned suited man. He watched as her form disappeared into the crowd before letting out a deep chuckle. Grabbing his own fallen suitcase, which he just now noticed, he made his way through the airport and to the pick up zone. Spotting his limo, he nodded appreciatively at the driver who held the door open for him before sliding into the seat. As he went through his briefcase, making sure that all the needed documents were still in place, his mind drifted back to the passionate woman he'd encountered. He shook his head, to try and dislodge the image of those blazing blue eyes out of his head, before turning his attention to the papers in his briefcase.

**_Five years later..._**

"Here she comes!", she smiled as she heard the hushed whispers. Flat maryjanes made little sound as she slid into the room, twirling on her heel to face the eager greeting, "Good afternoon Ms. B!"

"Good Afternoon!" she chirped back, smiling happily at the collection of children sitting on tiny stools with canvas in front of them. She dropped her bag, in a corner of the room before perching herself on the desk at the front of the classroom. "What should we do today?"

"Finger-painting!"

"Watercolors!"

"Let's paint feet!"

Serenity giggled, "Those are all very good suggestions!" she cheered, "The last one was a little weird but good!" she stated, adding a giggle, as she turned her back, "Since we finished our projects--" she gestured to the four walls of the room lined with dozens of pieces of artwork, all colors of the rainbow displayed on every conceivable surface of the room, "I think we'll start something new. Someone want to remind me, what was our last project about?"

Little hands flew up, jumping down from her perch she walked through the rows of canvas with a thoughtful expression, before randomly tapping a raised hand. The little redheaded boy looked up at her before stating in his boyishly high-pitched voice, "What makes us happy."

"Very good." she sang lightly to him, eyes shining with pride. The child looked up at the blonde with adoring eyes; Serenity affectionately ruffled his hair before quickly pivoting on her heel. Strolling back to the front of the class, dozens of eyes looked at her with impatient anticipation. Spinning, she faced them for a thoughtful expression before smiling her unique smile, "This time we are going to paint what is most important to us. It can be anything. It can be your Mommy or your Daddy, or your favorite toy." The brief explanation was simple enough, and many of the children excitedly chatted amongst themselves of what or who they would paint.

"What if you don't have a Mommy or Daddy?" one child tucked in a lonely corner of the room said, lip quivering with restrained tears. Serenity quickly crossed the room and crouched in front of the child. She gazed at the little girl with understanding eyes, as she tenderly brushed away a tear that slid down her cheek.

"Not everyone has a Mommy or a Daddy, but that doesn't make them any different than anyone else. You are just as special and beautiful as anyone else," she whispered to the child, her hand caressed the child's cheek with a soft smile before she stood up, making a mental note to watch this child carefully. Raising her voice so that the entire class could here this part, "If you don't have a Mommy or Daddy than paint someone else that you love or just care about but there has to be something or someone that is special to you." her lips quirked up a little as she continued, "Even if we have to think about it a little." Clapping her hands sharply, she brought attention to herself before stating, "You know what to do. Row 1, get your art supplies…."

Minutes ticked by and she quietly observed the children as they painted, smiling as some used their bare fingers instead of the brushes. She wandered the various rows of the room, observing their techniques and making gentle corrections when she saw fit. Helpful suggestions were given to those sitting before their canvas with blank or thoughtful expressions. Time passed quickly and before anyone knew it they all heard the gentle chiming of a familiar bell.

She smiled against the disappointed groans of the children, "You know what that sound means!" she chirped gazing at the children fondly. "Brushes down and back away from the canvas!" she ordered, face set in an expression of mock-sternness, eyes shining brightly as the children backed away from the canvas, scattering paint on the covered floor in their haste. "I'll see you guys soon!" she said dismissing the children and blowing a kiss to her students, as they picked up their respective bags and hurried off to their next class. She giggled as a few children before leaving ran up to her and threw their chubby little arms enthusiastically around her bare legs. They beaming up at her, words streamed out of their little mouths in an indistinguishable rush of the English language, with shining eyes she smiled down at them affectionately, "I think I caught three words of whatever you just said, but you better get out of here before you're late!" Quickly, they ran out of the classroom at top speed. She shook her head at the exuberance of youth before making her rounds. Blue eyes caressed each individual canvas lovingly before scrutinizing each color-filled canvas with a sharp eye, making mental notes for each student.

Ten minutes later, she plopped herself gracelessly onto the edge of her desk. Leaning back on her fully extended arms, she gazed fondly at her space. Eyes silently wandered all over the rectangular room, which was decorated simply, specifically to emphasize the many pieces of art hanging on the walls. Out of the corner of her eyes a flash of aqua caught her attention.

"I have a very important question I need to ask you." Serenity stated, turning to face the intruder that lingered in the doorway, "Why do you always feel the need to be early?" her voice sang out sweetly, a playful air apparent around the blonde as she smiled warmly at the watchful figure.

"I believe the real issue is..." A slender medium-height woman, dressed in a pair of navy slacks with a white boat neck top stepped fully into the classroom, calm eyes gazing at the blonde dotingly as she responded just as playfully, "Why are you always late?"

Serenity shrugged before replying, "Artist's Prerogative." Giggling Serenity jumped down from her perch and ran over to the aqua-haired woman throwing her arms around Michiru in a joyful hug. "It's been forever and year, since I last saw you!" she cried out, arms squeezing the taller frame enthusiastically.

"It's only been two months." Michiru admonished lightly, wrapping her arms around her petite friend and former pupil and laughing delicately at the pout on Serenity's face as she released Michiru from the embrace. Michiru took in the delicate features of the blonde, critically eyeing the black pleated miniskirt coupled with a fitted pink tank top. A black and white checkered tie, hung loosely from the blonde's delicate neck, the longest end dangling above the blonde's waistline. Silvery-white locks were pulled away from Serenity's face and French braided down her back, the outfit was coupled with black suspenders from the skirt and a pair of simple black flats, overall it was something her former protégé would definitely wear.

Serenity donned a serious expression as she gazed at the famous artist before her. "What do you think?" she asked, gesturing towards the rows of drying canvases.

Michiru wandered through the rows of stools, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as her experienced eyes inspected the various easels. "Their technique certainly needs improvement--"

Blithe giggling cut Michiru's critique off. Serenity rolled her eyes at the put out expression on the older woman's face as she quickly clarified, "I'm not asking for an analysis, these are only children." Serenity reminded the known perfectionist, with a raised eyebrow.

Michiru gazed at her reproachfully, hands riding high on her hips as she glared evenly at the light-hearted blonde, "Technique is very important, Serenity."

"And very personal, Michiru." She said, mocking her mentor as she imitated her stance, "I'm giving them the basics of technique because I want them to develop that on their own, but what I really want them to focus on is expression. Look again and tell me what you feel."

"The strokes, the choice of colors… I'm getting a sense of value. Like these things are precious to the painters."

"Good. That means I'm doing my job!" Serenity chirped happily before walking back to the front of the classroom to collect her fallen bag. As she ambled away, Michiru kept her eyes on the blonde's back thinking of what the blonde had accomplished, silently fighting down the tiny wave of anger she felt at the potential that was being wasted…

"How was your vacation? Did you have fun at the beach? Should I be expecting tiny little race car driving artists to be running around my ankles anytime soon?" Serenity asked playfully wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she leaned back against the metal desk.

"It would _literally_ be a miracle." Michiru stated dryly, rolling her eyes at the blonde's last statement. Shaking her head, Michiru brought herself back to her original purpose for the visit. "I know I'm early but are you free now?" Michiru inquired, gazing at the younger woman.

"Sure, I was just going to clean up before meeting you but this is fine, too." Serenity stated, shouldered her bag as she glanced up at the world-renowned artist.

"How does a late lunch sound?" Michiru asked, threading her arm through Serenity's with a smile.

"Like I'd ever turn down free food!" Serenity declared, gazing at Michiru like she should now better, before leading the way out of the classroom and down the halls of the community center.

Many miles away a woman by the name of Reign Aiden was desperately fighting a migraine.

A migraine that answered to Rhea…

"I want those documents here by tomorrow!" a deep voice growled into the speaker before hitting the off button and turning his attention back to the three ladies seated in his office, "I'm listening."

Rhea Adrastos, matriarch of the Adrastos family, nodded to her grandson approvingly, as she watched the man delegate and lead with efficient skill and appropriate ruthlessness, before turning her attentions back to the woman seated beside her on the expensive leather couch. "I want her dripping in diamonds and the dress should have white lace or satin or silk--" she gasped excitedly, gazing at the woman seated across from her, mentally picturing any of the luxurious fabrics draping from her frame, "Any of would those make her look so delicate—Perhaps we should cover the church with fresh flowers…", the aged Adrastos muttered, a thoughtful expression on her beautifully mature face, as she leaned against her platinum cane.

"All wonderful ideas..." Voiced the perky voice of their most recent bridal consultant as she jotted down the suggestions in a notebook.

"Wonderful ideas..." came the sarcastic agreement from the seated brunette across from the duo. Reign, known to those brave enough to stand her fiery personality as Rei, glanced up from her glass of wine. The same glass of wine that she had been nursing since the beginning of **her** wedding consultation with a calm expression on her face, you only had to glance into her eyes to see the various curses that dangled off the tip of her tongue. Gazing at the duo calmly, Rei suddenly snapped her fingers, "There is only one tiny, little detail… this is _my_ wedding and I want _red_. After all wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to wear white…" Rei added, leaning back into her chair with a smirk directed at the older of the planning duo across from her.

"Rei--!" Endymion snapped, glaring at his cousin for the inappropriate comment.

"Well we certainly can't do anything about your disgusting past can we?" The older woman sneered at the younger brunette.

"Will the father be walking you down the aisle?" the bridal consultant named Lydia timidly asked, noticing, not for the first time the tension between grandmother and granddaughter.

Scoffing loudly, which drew a disgusted face from her grandmother, Rei explained in a dismissively nonchalant tone, "The Senator is a very busy man, and barely make time for his many sexual indiscretions, so I sincerely doubt he'll have time in his schedule." Rei rolled her eyes, thoughts of her father not even igniting the smallest amount of emotion anymore. "No, the Senator will most likely not even be in attendance." Thoughts of her father aside, this was her wedding and she damn well was going to be heard. She watched with slight amusement as the Bridal Consultant shrunk a little at her glare, "And once again I'd like to remind you both that I am the bride--"

"With all due respect, Ms. Aiden--" Rei's intensified and Lydia quickly spit out a correction, "Reign. I believe that Mrs. Adrastos' ideas are only intended to be helpful."

Rei raised an eyebrow at the hopelessly naive woman beside her grandmother, "Please!" Rei stated, gazing at her grandmother with open disdain, "The last helpful thing my grandmother did was _'breaking her leg'_ so she didn't have to attend my **insignificant **graduation ceremony."

"If you were a respectable young woman you would have listened to reason, joined the family business!"

Rei looked at the older woman with bored eyes, before leaning forward with a smug smile spread across her face, "I'm quite happy with my life, Grandmother and I've enjoyed sex too much to be a 'respectable' woman."

Clearing her throat nervously, Lydia tried to bring the discussion back to the upcoming nuptials, timorously choking out, "The traditional colors for a bride are white--"

Rei leaned back in the plush armchair she had taken residence in since she'd been informed about this bridal 'powwow', a calm thoughtful expression on her face as she stated, "I'm thinking red and black."

"For the reception hall?" Lydia asked, turning to the bride with a smile, happy to hear input from the actual bride despite her earlier opinion about Mrs. Adrastos.

"For my dress." Rei clarified, obviously enjoying the many shades of fury her grandmother's face could turn.

"Wh-what!" Rhea shouted, outraged at the mere suggestion of her grandchild walking down the isle, looking like the bride of Dracula.

Endymion sighed tiredly from behind his desk, shaking his head as his younger cousin traumatized their grandmother and barely hiding his own amusement at the older woman's reaction to Rei's suggestions.

"I want red." Rei said, speaking slowly as if her grandmother were an imbecile, Rhea reddened even more at Rei's tone. "It's my favorite color and I want it at my wedding." Rei stated simply.

The bridal consultant suddenly could understand why this job was up for grabs when she landed it. Gathering up her courage, she hesitantly added her own professional opinion, "It's...highly unusual for red to be a primary color for a wedding--"

"I won't allow it!" Rhea roared, slamming her cane into the carpeted floor of the office to emphasize her point.

"You are here as a courtesy, Grandmother." Rei reminded the older woman, "Meaning, you have no say in what happens at my wedding."

Endymion, not wanting to listen to anymore screaming or see anything destroyed in his office, tried to use reason with the eldest Adrastos, "Grandmother, this is Rei's wedding--"

Rhea ignored her grandson's statement, choosing instead to glare angrily at her granddaughter and rant, "--and my personal experience planning many a wonderful affair--"

"Is not wanted or needed." Rei finished, yawning loudly as her grandmother glowered at her, "In case you forgot Grandmother, My fiancé and I are paying for this wedding."

"Since my opinion is not wanted, I'll just leave..." Rhea slowly stood,

"Don't let the doorknob hit you on the way out--" Rei chirped happily eyeing the door.

"Rei!" Endymion shot the woman a reprimanding look, which really didn't do much of anything as Rei leaned back casually in her seat, ignoring the silent and spoken reprimand.

"Such blatant disrespect!" Rhea hissed at her granddaughter's still form.

"You have mistaken disrespect for simple indifference." she drawled out, once more nursing her glass of wine and wishing for an aspirin.

"If you both could delay your respective tantrums for a later day, so we can move this meeting along." Endymion raised an eyebrow at the identical glares shot his way. Rhea retook her seat with a dignified huff, while Rei rolled her eyes at the show. Endymion stared pointedly at the duo, "I do have a business to run."

"As do I…" agreed his younger cousin, as she shot a glare at their grandmother

"You speak as though what you do for a living can even be considered work--" Rhea started

"Do we at least know how many bridesmaids?" Lydia asked, more than a tinge of desperation in her voice as she glanced between the volatile duo of granddaughter and grandmother.

"Five." "None." Grandmother and granddaughter glared at each other's answer.

"I don't want any bridesmaids."

"It would be in bad taste to not have any bridesmaids!"

Rei rolled her eyes, "I don't really care if it's in bad taste--" seeing her grandmother's mouth about to open she quickly added to the eternal relief of her older cousin, "But I will think about it." Glancing at her gold timepiece Rei sighing tiredly, "As much as I've enjoyed verbally sparring with you about **my** wedding, I've got to get back to work…" she rose from her seat, setting down her glass and walking over to where her grandmother was seated, pecking the older woman on the cheek.

"This conversation is not over Rei." Rhea warned through gritted teeth.

"For now it is." Rei stated, as she walked out the door, shutting it behind her. Endymion sagged against his desk, emotionally exhausted by the war of wills just raged in his office. Rhea clenched her fists around her cane and the bridal consultant glanced around awkwardly, silently wondering why she decided to take this job. Suddenly the door swung open, Rei walked back in, grabbing her purse beside her abandoned chair. Snapping her fingers with sudden remembrance, she quickly spun on her heel, "And I've decided the colors are going to be red, gold and white."

Shooting a smile at the trio Rei walked out of the office, whistling as her stiletto heels clicked against the marble floors of her cousin's office building.

"Would you like some tea?" Serenity asked, as she led Michiru into the living area of her apartment after having spent two hours at one of the nicest restaurants in the city.

"Yes, please." Michiru replied, gazing around the room with amazement. Every single wall was a mural, a silent testament to the artistic talent of the resident. She felt particularly drawn to one wall that had an image of a raging wave beating against the shore of a beach, turbulent skies hovered over the wave, almost protectively. It reminded her of Haruka, as they had spent a lot of time on the beach, not to mention the blonde's temper could rival the wave on the wall. Just as Michiru was about to join Serenity in the kitchen, she was shocked to find a half-naked man walk down the staircase into Serenity's living room.

"Hi." he said, briefly waving at Michiru before brushing back disheveled tawny locks from icy green eyes, uncaring of his state of half-undress.

"Hello?" Michiru replied, eyeing him curiously, quietly wondering why he was barely dressed in her friend's apartment.

"Bunny, do you know where my shirt is?" He called out to the small owner of the apartment.

"Try the studio." was the muffled reply from the kitchen.

"Thanks!"

Michiru watched curiously as an unknown man walked into Serenity's art studio, a spare bedroom that the blonde had converted to a workspace for herself, walked out fully dressed and left the apartment without another word. Michiru quickly found her way into the kitchen, gracefully she sat herself down at the only table in the kitchen.

Out of the corner of her eye Serenity caught Michiru's look and tried to ignore it for as long as she could. "What?" she asked, defensively eyeing the older artist as Michiru gazed at her with an uncharacteristically playful gleam in her marine colored eyes.

The artist cast a curious glance at the direction of the now absent male, "Who's he?"

"Who?" Serenity voiced innocently, trying to play dumb. From the raised eyebrow she was receiving from Michiru, she figured it wasn't working, "He's just a friend." she explained handing Michiru a cup of tea.

Michiru accepted the tea, graciously, nodding her thanks before taking a sip. Over the cup she eyed Serenity before gently lowering the cup to the saucer, "He is an attractive man."

"He's atheistically pleasing." Serenity agreed, her tone dry as she glanced at her mentor, "I'm taking an art course to freshen up on my basic skills. He's a model from one of my classes and he needed a place to stay for the night." Rolling her eyes at the indicative look present in Michiru's eyes, she stated plainly, "Nothing happened."

"Right..." Michiru drawled out, taking her tea into the living room.

Serenity followed glaring openly at her mentor's back, "Nothing happened." The blonde reiterated before adding while placing her tea on the coffee table in front of them, "Not for his lack of trying though." Plopping down on the couch, jostling the saucer a bit as she crossed her legs Indian style, leaning back, Serenity settled herself against comfy cushions.

"You're not interested." Michiru stated partly disappointed but mostly curious at Serenity's convent-like personal life.

"You know the answer to that." Serenity gave the woman a knowing look.

"Are you giving up on men now because I know a few girls..."

Serenity giggled at the violinist's playful nature before responding "Thanks for the offer, but I'm still very much fond of the male anatomy. I'm just..." Serenity tried to find the words to describe her utter lack of desire, but found herself sighing in frustration instead, "I don't know." Serenity shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm just not that interested. Art is my love."

"But your paintings can't hold you at night when it's cold." Michiru said, leaning forward to sip at her tea, pinkie sticking properly in the air.

"No, they can't." Serenity agreed, sighing sadly, "But neither can some men."

"I'm sorry, Serenity. I shouldn't have--"

Taking a deep breath Serenity let it out in a sad sigh, her lips spread into a peaceful smile as she replied, "It's fine…" She waved her hand dismissively. The theme songs from one of Serenity's favorite movies blared from the front door, Serenity jumped up, face now void of any of the previous sadness, though Michiru could see some of it lingered through the blonde's eyes as she glanced at the door. "I have to go to the bathroom. Either I'm allergic to shrimp or the shrimp I ate is trying to swim upstream." Serenity stated, holding her stomach with a gentle hand, "Could you get the door for me?"

Michiru nodded, rising from the couch and laughing as Serenity all but ran up the stairs to the bathroom located on the second level of the apartment. The aqua-haired artist quickly made her way to the source of the noise and opened the door to find her face full of flowers. "Serenity! You might want to come out of the bathroom for this!" Michiru declared loudly, eyeing the odd arrangement in the uniformed woman's hands.

The delivery woman handed Michiru the flowers, and a folder, "Sign here to verify that this was received." the woman stated, pointing to a form with a line next to an X. Settling down the folder at her feet and juggling the bouquet, Michiru signed her name to the line and watched as the delivery woman quickly spun on her heel, almost jogging to get away from this apartment.

Michiru called out to the delivery woman before she could completely disappear, "Wait! Who these are from?"

The woman shrugged before stepping backwards into the elevator, "My directions were to drop them off and leave before the card or the contents of the folder were read."

Michiru watched as the elevator doors closed, her eyes glaring suspiciously at the metal contraption as Serenity jogged down the stairs, "False alarm! Who was that?" Serenity inquired curiously.

"Were you expecting a delivery?"

"No." she answered, confused as Michiru eyed the bouquet in her hands strangely, "Are these for me?" Serenity asked, observing the arrangement encased Michiru's valuable hands.

"Yes. There is also a folder." Michiru said, handing the flowers to the blonde.

Serenity carefully took the bouquet, "Such an odd arrangement." She commented, eyeing the variety selected. The mixed scents and sights of thorn less dark crimson roses, hibiscus roses, geraniums, daisies, white chrysanthemum, pink carnations, baby's breathe and one single, fully bloomed white rose, standing in it's untainted glory in the center of the arrangement.

"There is a card attached to the white rose." Michiru commented, eyeing the expression on Serenity's face as she opened the card. Perceptive eyes watched as Serenity's already alabaster complexion lightened to sickly shades, then darkened dangerously. For a moment Michiru thought maybe Serenity was embarrassed, it wasn't until she looked into burning blue eyes that she realized Serenity was red with anger.

"You said there was a folder?" Serenity asked, eyes boring into Michiru's intensely. Without a word Michiru handed Serenity the accompanying folder. Serenity savagely tore the seal of the folder with her teeth; hands placed the bouquet down on the ground, to be dealt with later, as she frantically pulled out the contents of the folder. Two sheets of paper were held in by dainty hands, as Serenity's eyes quickly skimmed along what was written. From her position beside the infuriated blonde, she could see that at least one of the removed papers appeared to be a hand-written letter. Curiosity, an emotion that was usually absent from Michiru's personal repertoire, was suddenly overwhelming her as she watched, the exuberant blonde bite her lip and clench her fists. Blue eyes glared flaming daggers at the paper, before delicate hands balling up the paper, viciously crushing it until Serenity's hands were red from the effort.

Frightened at the blonde's behavior, Michiru quickly snatched the paper from Serenity's hands, "Serenity!"

"That bastard…", Serenity hissed through clenched teeth. Serenity reached out a hand to steady herself, suddenly feeling dizzy as she leaned against Michiru.

_TBC…_

**AN: ASSUMING THAT YOU ARE LAZIER THEN ME, YOU READERS PROBABLY WON'T LOOK UP THE MEANING OF THE ARRANGMENT. IT DEFINITELY SERVES AS AN OUTLINE OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER AND I PROMISE MORE IN ON THE WAY, INCLUDING THE CONCLUSION TO A FEW OF MY OLDER WORKS, WHICH NO ONE'S REALLY READING ANYWAY:(**

**chrysanthemum (white) : truth**

**carnations (pink): I'll never forget you**

**daisy: innocence, loyal love, I'll never tell, purity**

**geranium: stupidity, folly**

**roses: (dark crimson) mourning**

**(hibiscus) delicate, beauty**

**(white): innocence and purity, I am worthy of you, you're heavenly, secrecy and silence**

**Rose single full bloom: I love you, I still love you. **


End file.
